India, US initiate agreement to co-op in clean energy research

Washington: India and the US on Friday initiated
the agreement for co-operation on a joint clean energy
research and development centre, which would facilitate
research on a wide range of green power technologies.
The agreement, MoU for which was signed during Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh`s visit to Washington last November,
is considered a significant step towards strengthening
cooperation between the two countries in an area of increasing
national and international priority.

India`s top diplomat in the US Meera Shankar and Daniel
Poneman, Deputy Secretary of Energy, initiated the Agreement
for Cooperation on a Joint Clean Energy Research and
Development Centre today, an official release said.

"The Centre will facilitate joint research and
development by teams of scientists and engineers from the US
and India on clean energy and related joint activities, needed
to deploy clean energy technologies rapidly with the greatest
impact," it said.
Areas of cooperation would include energy efficiency of
buildings, smart grids, unconventional natural gas,
second-generation bio fuels, clean coal technologies and solar
energy.

"Both Governments would provide funding for the
activities to help ensure long-term and stable financial
support to achieve the objectives of the Centre. Private
industry and academia in both countries are also expected to
provide additional resources," the statement said.

Technology breakthroughs will be critical in achieving
energy security in a clean and sustainable manner and the
Joint India-US Research Centre could be a valuable catalyst in
the process, it said.